1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to aircraft and, in particular, to aircraft systems. Still more particularly, the present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for identifying a position of a door.
2. Background
An aircraft has doors in various locations. For example, airplanes have doors that include deployable doors, such as landing gear doors and vent doors. Airplanes also have doors that are designed to be opened on the ground, such as maintenance doors and hatches, refuel doors and inspection hatches.
Identifying the position of a door is often performed prior to the aircraft taking off for flight. Failing to close or properly secure a door in a closed position, such as a maintenance door or hatch, may result in the aircraft being unable to perform in a desired manner. For example, pressurization of the aircraft may not occur as desired, the cargo bay may not be heated to a desired temperature or some combination thereof.
Sensors may be used to determine whether doors of an aircraft are closed. The information generated by the sensors may be displayed or otherwise presented to operators of aircraft to determine whether the doors are closed. This information may be displayed as a light, a graphical indicator on a display screen, or in some other manner.
The selection of sensors and the maintenance of sensors may be more difficult than desired. Selecting sensors based on the environment to which the sensors are exposed when used for a door of an aircraft may be more difficult than desired. Maintenance for currently used sensors may be greater than desired based on the environment to which the sensors are exposed when used for a hatch of an aircraft. Further, adding sensors to existing aircraft or manufacturing the aircraft with sensors may result in more wiring, components, and complexity than desired.
Therefore, it would be desirable to have a method and apparatus that take into account at least one of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.